Drink the Kool-Aid

10 Comments:

Hhhmmmmm. There are so many things out there you could get worked up into a tizzy about and I wouldn't even know what they are. A bud that funky looking could be a protea or leucadendron but I'd reckon those are almost passé for Bay Area rare plant enthusiasts. I'd sacrifice my mother to be able to grow a protea. JK. (The black sheep sibling in my family though? Definitely.)

It's P. cynaroides, and it's exciting because the flower buds form at the apical meristem just like new shoots, and it's impossible to tell which is which for a long time, and this is the first time I've gotten a flower.

I'd also like to clarify that I'm a cool plant enthusiast much more than a rare plant enthusiast. I think it's unfortunate that the categories overlap so much.

Haha. Thanks for making that clarification, cool plant enthusiast! Have you read or perused "The Explorer's Garden" by Dan Hinkley? For quite a few of the plants in that book, I just looked at them and thought to myself, "Dan, great, it's rare. To me it just looks like weed native to the Siberian steppes." So I know what you mean.

Sorry I ruined the fun so quickly - really I am! I'm still quite impressed because I know that Proteas are difficult to grow even in climates that suit them. I'm looking forward to seeing a picture of the full blossoming.

I had to look it up because I don't know from protea (pretty sure I might need one now since it's truly wicked kools). Is it just me or is that bud destined to slightly resemble a ... cardoon flower? Hope you post time-lapse of the opening.